Peters



J. A. GRANDALL.

Velocipede.

N9 L lPawnee Feb. 5, 1861,

N PETERS, PHOrO-UTMQGRAPKER, WASHINGTON. D. 0`

UNITED STATES rTnT ric.A

JESSE AMOR CRANDALL, OF NEV YORK, 'N. Y.

RocKING-Honsn.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 31,302, dated February 5, 1861.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JESSE AMOR ORAN- DALL, of the city, county7 and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Toy or Implement for Children, the Same being a Bocking-I-Iorse or Rocking Vehicle and a Velocipede; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure 1, is a side elevation of my invention. Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line ac, a', Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a section of a portion of the same, taken in the line y, y, Fig. 2. Fig. t, a detached face view of a plate pertaining to the same. Fig. 5, an end view of a shaft pertaining to the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a toy horse the back legs a, a, of which are secured to a shaft B, by coilsprings C, C. The shaft B, is secured transversely in a frame D, as hereinafter described and to said shaft there is also secured 'a spring E, which extends upward Iin an inclined position, and is attached to the under side of the horse as shown at a',

in Fig. 1. The spring E, is slightly curvedl and its ends may be secured to the horse and to the shaft B, by pins b," passing through eyes at the ends of the spring and through lugs or ears c, attached to the horse or shaft.

The coil springs C, C, and the spring E, are so adjusted or arranged that they will keep the horse when not subjected to a load in an inclined or rampant position and when a child is on the horse, the latter by a very slight exertion of the former will vibrate or rock back and forth.

The spring E, performs two functions: to wit, that of assisting the springs (1,0, in sustaining the horse and as a check to prevent the horse vibrating too far back; If the spring E, were not employed, the springs C, C, would require to be quite heavy or strong as they would necessarily sustain the whole weight of. the horse and its load and an elastic cord or other device as shown in my patented article of May 17th 1859, would be necessary to prevent vented from casually turning.

the backward movement of the horse. This latter arrangement, the cord, is not so olesirable as the spring as will be seen from the above description, the cord rendering heavy springs O, necessary, and not allowing so easy and agreeable a rocking motion as when the spring EX, is employed.

The ends of the shaft B, are notched or toothed radially as shown at cx, Fig. 5, and corresponding teeth JX, are made in plates F, which are secured to t-he inner surfaces of the side pieces a., a, of thel frame. The teeth bx, of plate F, are shown clearly in Fig. t, and through each side piece' cl, of the frame and through the center' of its plate F, a screw e, passes and these screws pass into the ends of the shaft B, and keep the teeth in the ends of the shaft, and those on the plates F, interlocked with each other. By this arrangement the shaft B, is pre The shaft B, may be turned at any time to regulate the position of the springs C, C, to suit the load on the horse by unscrewing one of the screws c, so that the teeth at the ends of shaft B, may be disengaged from those of the plates F. Instead of the teeth on the ends of the shaft B, and on the plate F, pins may be used on one and corresponding holes made in the other to receive the pins. This latter arrangement however would be equivalent to the former one.

The frame D, is mounted on wheels G, G, H, I-I. -The wheels G, G, at the front part of the frame D, have a crank I, on their axle J, and a rod K, is connected to said axle. The axle Il, of the back wheels I-I, I-I, is connected to the frame D, by a king bolt f, and to each end of the axle L, a cord g, is attached, said cords passing through eyes 7L, 7L, at the sides of the horse and having stirrups M, secured to their ends.

Vhen it is desired to use the device as a velocipede, the rod K, is connected at its upper end to the under side of the horse A, at or near the same point where the upper' end of the spring E is attached and a child by rocking the horse A, as before will cause the rod K, and crank I, to rotate the front axle J, and the device will be propelled along the wheels G, G, being attached to the axle J. The device is guided by the action of the feet in'the stirrups M, the cords g, g, moving or turning the axle L.

I do not claim separately the attaching of a toy-horse, seat or receptacle to coil springs pede, substantially as herein shown and dcscribed Whereby the springs will assist the crank I in passing its centers.

2. Having the stirrups M and their straps connected With the steering axle, substantially in the manner herein shown and described, so that the velocipede may be guided by the stirrups all as set forth.

JESSE AMOR CRANDALL.

Witnesses:

LEWIS A. TUCKER, M. M. LIVINGSTON. 

